Coffee-separator



G. H. RICH.

COFFEE SEPARATOR. No. 451,236. Patented Apr. 28, 1891.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. H. RICH.l .COFFEE SBPARATOR.

Patented Apr. 28, 1891.

STATES GEORGE H. RICH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.v

COFFEE-SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming' part Of Letters Patent No. 451,236, dated April 28, 1891. Application filed September 5, 1890. Serial No. 364,014. (No model.)

vTo all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE II. RICH, acitizen of the United States of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coffee-Separators, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to a machine primarily designed to separate the round beans found in coffee from the fiat ones, but also useful in separating and cleaninga variety of other articles where it is desired to separate the round from the flat grains; This machine is shown in its preferred form in the drawings presented herewith, wherein- Figure l is a plan view, and Fig. 2 a vertical longitudinal section in liueh 2 of Fig. l.

The object of my invention is to attain greater speed in the separation of these articles, together with greater simplicity and effectiveness in the machine used therefor.

I shall first describe fully and specifically the machine which I have constructed for this purpose in its preferred form, and shall thereafter clearly point out and define the different improvements therein which I believe to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent.

Applying reference-letters to the various parts of the machine in the two figures, A is the frame, B the hopper which feeds the coffee to the machine, and C C the boxes into which the different portions of the latter are delivered. To the lower portion of the frame A two upwardly-extending spring-arms D D are rigidly fastened, carrying upon their free ends a swinging frame E. Two shafts F F are journaled in the frame of the machine and two others G Gin the swinging frame. Each of the said shafts carries sprocket or rag wheels g gff, upon which an endless apron H is carried by means of side chains h. The shafts F G G run loosely in their respective frames; but the shaft F passes through the frame of the machine and carries outside thereof a sprocketwheel I. At the opposite end of the machine a shaft .I is also journaled in the frame thereof, carrying at one end a pulley j, by means of which power is applied to rotate it, and at the other end a sprocket-wheel j', geared to the wheel I by means of a chain K. This shaft is turned down upon a center offset from stantially straight by metal plates e, andI ar-Y y ranged above this portion of the apron is the hopper B, containing a slidinggate ZJ, adjustable up or down by means of the clampingscrew S, and outside of this gate, near the bottom of the hopper, is arranged a feed-roller l R, longitudinally corrugated dabout its periphery, mounted in the frame of the hopper and also of the machine (the two being rigidly connected) upon a shaft r, bearing at its end a sprocket-wheel r in position to engage with the chain K. Upon the frame E, also over the straight upper portion of the apron and at a distance therefrom sufficient to allow a round bean to roll beneath, but not a-flat one, is secured a board T. This board is inclined a trifle more than the apron, so that its upper edge is farther from the latter than its lower edge. This adds greatly to its effectiveness in turning the beans upon their flat sides when they are beneath it. The frame E is so arranged that the said portion of the apron is inclined downward from the shaftG to the shaft G.

The operation of this device is as follows: The coffee or other material is poured into the hopper B, passes therefrom beneath the gate b in quantities determined by the adjustment of the latter, is taken up by the feed-rollerR, and dropped upon the apron H. The latter is kept in continuous motion from the shaft l G to the shaft G by means of the sprocketwheel f, driven through the gearing shown by the power-shaft J. At the same time the frame E is vigorously shaken through the arm L by the eceentrics jz upon said powershaft. Thus a continuous motion ofthe apron up the incline is attained,vwhich of course tends y to carry the material fed upon said apron over into the box C. At the same time a vibratory movement of the upper portion of said apron is kept up,which tends to shake said material down over the inclined surface into the box C. When any article like coffee, composed of both flat and round particles, is fed upon this apron, the flat particles tend to rest upon their fiat sides and travel up the inclined apron in spite of the shaking of the latter,while the round particles, on the other hand, roll down said incline much more rapidly than the apron itself moves, and hence drop into the box C. Vhenever any of the at beans strike upon their edges and in turning over gain sufficient momentum to go bouncing down the incline in spite of their at shape, they will find itimpossible to pass between the board T, for the latter is adjusted so as te leave barely room for the round beans to roll beneath it; but the space is not suicient for the passage of the flat beans, as the latter pass down the incline by a series of bounds, leaving the surface of the apron at every jump. Moreover, as the round beans are invariably narrower (although thicker) than the flat beans, the board T can be so adjusted that the fiat beans cannot pass beneath it, even though in rolling over they should remain in contact with the apron at all times. VThe portion of the apron carried by the vibrating frame E will ordinarily be kept taut by the Weight of the lower loose portionof the apron. If, however, it should be found liable to displacement by the shaking of the frame, friction may be applied to the shaft F to actas a sort of `brake and resist the pull of the shaft F upon the apron.

The lower loose portion of the apron swings,

as will be seen from the drawings, between the sprocket-shafts F F. As these shafts are journaled in the frame of the machine, this portion of the apron will notpartake of the vibratory movement of the frame E.

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with the vibrating frame E, carrying the ascending endless apron H, of the board T, arranged as shown and being nearer tothe apron at its lower edge than at its upper, substantially as described.

2. In combination with the frame of the machine, a feeding device and suitable drivin g mechanism, `and a vibrating frame E, having the board T and carrying the ascending endless apron H, substantially as described.

3. LIn combination, the frame A, carrying the shafts F F', bearing thew'heels I ff', the frame E, resting upon the ,spring-arms D D, carryingthe shafts G G', bearing the wheels g g', the board T, theendless Vapron H, the shaft J, bearing the cccen-trics jthe arm L, the chain K, and the hopper B, substantially as described.

GEORGE H. RICH. In presence of- T. C. RICH, H. BITNER. 

